New Media

Matt McGarry and Kolby Hatch
  • 5.0 (40)
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Updated Weekly

New Media is a podcast for founders and creators building independent media businesses. We explore how to grow and monetize audiences without depending on algorithms, advertising, and platforms you don't control. Each episode shares practical insights on building profitable media and education businesses.  A GrowLetter podcast, hosted by Matt McGarry and Kolby Hatch. 

  1. 7h ago

    This Guy Makes $1,500,000 PER MONTH From Texting

    Matt Paulson (MarketBeat) joins Matt and Kolby to talk about the SMS playbook that's now 25% of MarketBeat's revenue, why he pays Twilio $400K a month to make it work, and the case for treating digital media as a depreciating asset he'll shut down at 65 rather than sell.  Timestamps:  00:00 Intro 03:30 SMS Is The New Email 06:00 SMS Is Now 25% Of MarketBeat's Revenue ($1.5M+/Month) 10:00 Promoting Advertiser Offers Over Your Own 13:30 $100 Paid Webinars That Sell $2,500/Month Coaching 14:30 SMS Sunsetting, Short Codes, And Deliverability 17:00 Confirming Phone Numbers To Avoid TCPA Lawsuits 19:00 SMS Tech Stack And Twilio's $400K/Month Bills 23:00 Why Newsletters Are Still Worth It (Gmail's March 20 Change) 28:00 Multi-Channel: Spending $500K/Month On Meta Ads 33:00 The Co-Reg Wars: IMS vs AfterOffers 35:00 Every Tech Company Will Eventually Buy A Media Company 38:00 Why MarketBeat Won't Be Sold Or Acquired 41:00 Beehiiv, Substack, And ESP Feature Bloat 46:00 Marketers Matt Watches: Hormozi, Sanchez, Deiss 50:00 Where to Find Matt Paulson  📌 Resources: MarketBeatAfterOffersThe Email Copywriter (Chris Orzechowski)  🔗 Connect with Matt Paulson:  LinkedInTwitter/X Leave a 5-star review on Apple or Spotify, then email matt@growletter.co or kolby@growletter.co with a screenshot and a question — we'll answer it on the show.

    44 min

  2. May 27

    HubSpot Spent $100M on Creators — Here's Why (With Jonathan Hunt VP of HubSpot Media & Head of The Hustle)

    Jonathan Hunt (VP of HubSpot Media) joins Matt and Kolby to talk about how HubSpot built a 50M-reach owned-media network, the four-part test they run on every acquisition (Hustle, Mindstream, Starter Story, Futurepedia), and why they killed every audio-only podcast on the network. Timestamps:  00:00 Intro 03:33 Why HubSpot Buys Media Companies 04:45 What HubSpot Media Actually Is (65 People, 3 Pillars) 07:15 The Editorial Thesis Behind Every Acquisition 12:26 The HubSpot Acquisition Test: 4 Criteria 14:53 Inside HubSpot's 150-Creator Program 22:24 Co-Creating Brands With Creators 25:06 Why HubSpot Went YouTube First 30:41 The Ad Fatigue Problem (And How They Solved It) 33:01 Scott Galloway and the Native Lead Magnet Play 36:15 How HubSpot Reinvests Profits Into Growth 39:46 Minority Report-Level Attribution 42:00 Why HubSpot Killed Audio-Only Podcasts 43:12 Reactions: Puck, TBPN, Sherwood, A16Z 51:31 Why HubSpot Won't Launch a Net-New Live Show 53:47 Where to Find Jonathan📌 Resources:   Mindstream Starter Story Futurepedia HubSpot Creator Program🔗 Connect with Jonathan:  LinkedIn Enjoying the show? Leave a 5-star review on Apple or Spotify, then email matt@growletter.co or kolby@growletter.co with a screenshot and a question — we'll answer it on the show.

    46 min

  3. May 20

    The Secret Behind $100M+ Personal Brands

    Katelyn Bourgoin (founder of Unignorable) joins Matt and Kolby to break down the 6 types of ownable ideas, the 5-question framework she uses to engineer one, why courses are losing value to AI-enabled "brainware" agencies, and a live audit of Matt's ownable idea. Timestamps:  00:00 Intro 00:39 The Why We Buy → Unignorable Rebrand 04:16 Ownable Ideas: Test Round (Sinek, Welsh, Sanchez) 09:30 What an Ownable Idea Actually Is 12:22 The 6 Types of Ownable Ideas 16:26 How to Create Your Own (and Why It's Hard) 18:55 The 5-Question Framework 22:10 Brené Brown Broken Down by the Framework 24:16 Lightning vs. Engineered Ideas 27:06 Live Audit: Matt's Overlap Effect Framework 39:58 Brainware: The AI-Enabled Agency Thesis 43:32 Productized Services as the New Course 50:37 Accountability as a Service 52:36 Sunsetting What No Longer Fits 54:38 Where to Find Katelyn 📌 Resources Mentioned:  UNIGNORABLEWhy We Buy newsletterBrian Balfour's Four Fits Framework  🔗 Connect with Katelyn Bourgoin:  LinkedIn  Website & NewsletterEnjoying the show? Leave a 5-star review on Apple or Spotify, then email matt@growletter.co or kolby@growletter.co with a screenshot and a question — we'll answer it on the show.

    56 min

  4. May 13

    $100M Course Seller: Info Products Are Dead Forever (Here’s What’s NEXT)

    Ryan Deiss (DigitalMarketer, Scalable.co) joins Matt to talk about why he killed an eight-figure course business, the 80% sales drop that forced the pivot, why AI is replacing courses faster than anyone wants to admit, and how to actually monetize expertise in a post-course world. Timestamps:  00:00 Intro 00:28 Why Ryan "Retired" From DigitalMarketer 03:32 The Real Reason Course Sales Collapsed 06:37 Why AI Beats Courses Every Time 11:54 DigitalMarketer's 80% Revenue Drop 13:05 Why "Course Business" Is the Wrong Frame 16:53 Build Your Own Media First 21:19 The 4 Ways Media Companies Make Money 22:23 Sell AI Trained on Your IP, Not the Course 28:23 Why Coaching On Top of Courses Won't Save You 33:12 The Truth About Cohort-Based Programs 35:14 The 3 Event Business Models 41:36 Sponsorships, Exhibitors & Critical Mass 48:07 Sponsorship Tiers and Protecting the Stage 58:00 Activations, Meetups & Sponsored Experiences 1:02:28 Where to Find Ryan📌 Resources: The Scalable Company DigitalMarketer  🔗 Connect with Ryan Deiss: LinkedInNewsletter

    1h 2m

  5. May 7

    The Media Trends Nobody Is Talking About

    Brian Morrissey (The Rebooting) joins Matt and Kolby to talk about his three-archetype theory of modern media, why most TBPN streaming-show clones will fail, the real strategic value of SMS, and why aging out of LinkedIn is a bigger flex than flying private. Timestamps:  00:00 Intro  00:06 The 3 Media Archetypes: Artists, Suits, Engineers  05:54 Streaming Media and MTS vs TBPN  08:00 Why Webinars Punch Above Their Weight  12:37 The Power of Parasocial Podcast Connections  16:09 Is Streaming A Fad? Neo-Traditional Media  20:18 The Underpants Gnome Problem With Clips  24:03 Is SMS The New Email?  26:45 The Hardest Part Is Having The Audience  29:51 Brian's Writing Process (No Audience In Mind)  34:36 Smart SMS Use Cases (Events, Subtext)  40:00 Building A Strategic Reserve Of Phone Numbers  42:59 Why SMS Crushes For Webinar Registrations  49:47 NoScroll And Anonymous X Accounts  53:22 Aging Out Of LinkedIn Is The Real Flex  54:05 Where To Find Brian 📌 Resources Mentioned:  The Rebooting People vs Algorithms (podcast) Monitoring The Situation (MTS) Breaking Points  🔗 Connect with Brian Morrissey: LinkedIn Website & Newsletter  Enjoying the show? Leave a 5-star review on Apple or Spotify, then email matt@growletter.co or kolby@growletter.co with a screenshot and a question — we'll answer it on the show.

    55 min

  6. Apr 30

    Inside a Top 10 Spotify Podcast Business, Local Newsletters To Agency Funnel, Will AI Change Email Marketing Forever?

    In today's episode, Ethan Brooks (Austin Business Review), Alyssa Dulin (Kit), and Jonathan Barshop (Modern Wisdom) join Matt and Kolby to discuss how to monetize a local newsletter with services instead of ads, what AI is actually doing to email deliverability, and the unconventional growth tactics that move a podcast in 2026.  Timestamps:  00:00 Intro 03:00 Ethan Brooks on Austin Business Review and Local Media 07:30 Why Local Newsletters Are Best Monetized as Services (Not Ads) 10:40 Selling Austin: $300K From Under 1,000 Readers 13:00 The $25K-in-8-Weeks Concrete Leads Side Business 22:00 Ethan's Two Frameworks: Valuable Audience + Media Monetization 32:00 Alyssa Dulin on AI in the Inbox 35:00 The New Curator in Town — How AI Is Rewriting Deliverability 46:00 The One-Word Reply Tip That Beats Every Other Engagement Tactic 52:00 Google Postmaster Tools: The Most Overlooked Deliverability Tool 1:01:00 Jonathan Barshop on Building a Podcast That Actually Grows in 2026 1:11:00 Why Premise Beats Production 1:18:00 The Cross-Promo That Supercharged My First Million 1:25:00 Engineering "Viral" Moments — The Tim Ferriss + Edward Norton Trick 1:42:00 Modern Wisdom's Tour Model and 12-Partner Sponsorship Strategy 📌 Resources Mentioned:  Austin Business ReviewGoogle Postmaster Tools Modern Wisdom 🔗 Connect with Ethan Brooks:   LinkedIn Newsletter🔗 Connect with Alyssa Dulin:  LinkedIn 🔗 Connect with Jonathan Barshop:  LinkedIn

    1h 50m

  7. Apr 27

    Life Update

    Join here: WriteGrowSell.com Enrollment ENDS May 4th at 11:59 pm EST.  This is the last opportunity to join Write, Grow, Sell for the next 5+ months and get in at the lowest price since 2024.

    6 min

  8. Apr 23

    This Free Site Makes More Than His $10M Course (w/ Neville Medhora)

    In today's episode, Neville Medhora (Swipefile, Copywriting Course, ex-AppSumo) joins Matt and Kolby to talk about how good copy delivered AppSumo's first $10,000 day, why his flagship Copywriting Course business is being eaten by AI while Swipefile.com is soaring, Neville's content workflow, and why selling software is dead in 2026. Timestamps: 01:19 House of Rave and Dropshipping in High School03:21 Finding Copywriting and AppSumo's First $10K Day05:53 Copywriting Course Dying, Swipefile Soaring11:27 Brand, Style, and Standing Out From AI16:33 How Swipefile's Business Model Works18:44 Why Selling Software Is Dead22:51 The Hybrid Sponsorship Model That Actually Pays26:45 Custom Content and Evergreen Sponsorship Deals33:47 Acquired's $4.8M Pre-Rolls and B2B Ad Math35:57 Why Blogging Is Social Media Now37:15 Neville's Content Flow: Swipefile → Newsletter → Social40:43 Growing a Newsletter in 202645:00 Why Neville Won't Sell Claude Skills (Yet)52:34 Where To Find Neville 📌 Resources Mentioned: The Gary Halbert Letters — https://www.thegaryhalbertletter.com Wait But Why (Tim Urban) — https://waitbutwhy.com 🔗 Connect with Neville Medhora: LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/neville-medhora-654749/ Swipefile — https://swipefile.com YouTube — https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSN1tlH1nvAXkv9nnBCmfiQ 🍿 Watch on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@growletter

    52 min
See All (109)

5
out of 5
40 Ratings

About

New Media is a podcast for founders and creators building independent media businesses. We explore how to grow and monetize audiences without depending on algorithms, advertising, and platforms you don't control. Each episode shares practical insights on building profitable media and education businesses.  A GrowLetter podcast, hosted by Matt McGarry and Kolby Hatch. 

Information

  • Creator
    Matt McGarry and Kolby Hatch
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    109
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Grow Letter Media, LCC
  • Show Website
    New Media

You Might Also Like